The End Of The Road

BRAG Day 7-Hinesville to Savannah

Distance: 37.95 miles
Ride Time: 2 hrs, 27 mins, 42 secs
Avg Speed: 15.4 mph


I had the chorus to the Boyz II Men song "End Of The Road" floating in my head today as we completed our seven day ride by rolling into Savannah.  The chorus goes like this:

"Although we’ve come to the end of the road
Still I can’t let go
It’s unnatural, you belong to me, I belong to you"

That's how I feel about these bike trips I do.  Even though the ride is over, I don't want to let it go.  I wish they would last forever, but they don't.  I do feel like I belong to the road on my bike and the road belongs to me on my bike.  I truly can't put into words the joy I feel when I participate in these events.  I meet new people, make new friends, see amazing sights and it's all AWESOME! :)

Today was like the last stage of the Tour De France.  A very flat ride into the coastal town of Savannah.  Lots of laughs, some hugs and a couple of tears.  All in all it was a great event!  Here are my totals for the ride:

Distance: 422.10 miles
Ride Time: 31 hrs, 47 mins, 30 secs
Avg Speed: 13.40 mph

Folks, if you have a passion about something, please DO IT!!  No matter what you are passionate about, Life is too friggin' short to sit on the sidelines.  GET IN THE GAME!! :)

My thanks to the members of the Arlington Heights Bicycle Association who were my riding buddies for the week.  Mitch, John, Barb, Jack, Cary, Ron and Paul-you are all terrific cyclists but even more so, terrific people.  Here's to a great week we shared. Cheers! :)

Thanks to Mark Gernazian of Cycleworks, Inc. for putting my bike together and transporting it to the start when it arrived in Atlanta and transporting it from Savannah back to Atlanta to take it apart to ship back to me. 

Thanks to Peter Barson of Campbell Street Bike Shop in Arlington Heights for letting me use his bike box and packing up my bike for me.  Peter, you are a great friend and I appreciate all the kindness you've shown me over the years. (Commercial plug-if you are in the Arlington Heights area and need a new bike or have a bike that needs servicing, please see Peter at Campbell Street Bike Shop.  Tell him I sent ya!) :)

Thanks to Rachel Erlichman at Able Bodies Training in Buffalo Grove, IL for getting me physically ready for this ride.  Rach, I don't know if I'd be able to do these long rides without your expert guidance and advice.  You are the BEST my friend!! :)

A special thank you to Char & Lem, also known as Mom & Dad.  Your love and guidance has produced the humble blogger who writes these words.  The joy you get out of these bike events I participate in makes me so happy. I love you both! :)

Finally, a thank you to everyone who read this blog.  Your interest in the chronicling of my cycling adventures was very much appreciated by your humble blogger.  If anything I wrote helped to brighten your day, then it was well worth it! :)

My BRAG adventure is over.  Georgia is now in the column of states in which I have completed a century ride or a multi day tour.  Seven down, 43 to go!

Car Back! :)
Gary

Vicki Thompson Talks about BRAG

BRAG Ride Director Vicki Thompson talks about this years ride.

We're In The Army Now!

BRAG Day 6-Metter to Hinesville

Distance: 62.19 miles
Ride Time: 4hrs, 20mins, 21secs
Avg Speed: 14.33 mph

Today we said goodbye to the town of Metter (and by extension for me, Statesboro) as we traveled south to the hamlet of Hinesville.  The major industry here is Fort Stewart, home to the U.S. Army's 3rd Infantry Division.  In fact, we a twenty mile headwind tinged leg through Ft. Stewart.  It was pretty cool to see street signs that said "Tank Crossing" with a picture of a tank.  We were really hoping to encounter one during our ride.  Unfortunately, no such luck.  However, we did see a soldier on the side of the road brandishing an M16 rifle.  As I passed him I waved and he waved back.  I would love to show you pictures of that and everything else we saw in Ft. Stewart but we received the following warning in our cue sheets: "Taking photographs of military installations and troop movements is strictly prohibited."  SO THERE!! ;)  No matter, it was still awesome to see all of the signs welcoming soldiers back home from Iraq and Afghanistan.  It had to be even more special for the Wounded Warriors team that is participating in BRAG.  To see them pedaling hand bikes all of these miles really puts it in perspective for me.  I will NEVER complain again about not being able do something on my bike when I think of what they have done and are doing!

This is a picture of me with my new friends Linda (on your left) and Judy.  Linda is from Dahlonega, GA and Judy is from Gainesville, GA.  We met on Sunday and rode with each other for a period of time Sunday and Monday.  We had fun going up and down the steep hills of middle Georgia.  OK, I lied.  The fun part was definitely going down the hills! :)   Thank you Linda and Judy! :)

While I was waiting for the bus to take me to BRAG HQ in Hinesville, I spotted this little gecko on the wall of the bus stop.  Before he scampered away, he did tell me I could save 15% on my car insurance.  Even the geckos are friendly in Georgia! :)



Well we are down to our last ride day tomorrow.  A 36 mile trek to Savannah and the eastern shore of the Atlantic Ocean.  As always, it will be bittersweet.  See you tomorrow!

Gary

It's Better In Metter (Well, Not Really)

BRAG Day 5-Dublin to Metter

Distance: 73.29 miles
Ride Time: 5hrs, 6mins, 20secs
Avg Speed: 14.35 mph

This morning we said farewell to Dublin and our two night stay there as we traveled the back roads and byways of southern Georgia to the town of Metter.  We started out at 6:30 AM and had finished by 1:00 PM.  Another great day of riding with NO physical issues whatsoever! WOOHOO!! :)  I am attributing my resurgent cycling strength to two factors: one, the hills have become way less severe than they were in the beginning and two, the SmartWater I've been sucking down like it's going out of style.  The hills have calmed down considerably ever since we go to Dublin.  And today was more of the same.  Gentle rolling hills are now the norm with the really steep hills becoming rare.  With the SmartWater, I started drinking it Monday night when I went to Walgreen's across from my hotel.  I picked it because I like the way the smooth bottle looked.  It wasn't until today when we were at the last rest stop before the finish that I paid attention to what was written on the bottle.  One of the ingredients in SmartWater is electrolytes!  YOWZA!!  No wonder I have not had any hint of cramping! Many of our rest stops have been at gas station convenience stores.  And because I love cold water (which the SAG folks have not been providing) I've been buying the SmartWater.  GENIUS!!  I don't want to toot my own horn but........................BEEP BEEP!! ;)

You know what one of the cool things is about bicycling?  It's the people.  Cyclists and non cyclists alike.  I get such a kick out of waving to people as we pass their homes or on the street.  The look on their faces is just priceless!  I so enjoy doing this.  I gotta find a way to become independently wealthy so I can do these bike tours year round.  I am having too much friggin' fun! :)

I included the above picture as a representative of the many shacks we saw in this condition in the rural areas of our trip. 

Then we ran into this home which was for sale.  I think the one feature that makes this a hot property screaming BUY ME are the Christmas lights.  Who wouldn't want to own this beauty? ;)

I'm stuck in Statesboro for the evening.  Let me explain.  It is true that our ride ended in Metter today.  However, when I was making my hotel reservations for each stop of this trip, all four of the hotels in Metter were booked.  I was thinking I may have to sleep in the gym for tonight.  But the BRAG folks came through with hotels in Statesboro which is 20 miles away from Metter.  So I made my reservation at the Days Inn.  Fast forward to today when the limo (yes a limo) picked us up (for $10) to bring us to Statesboro.  There were nine of us in the limo.  My other eight companions were staying at the Baymont Inn.  One they were dropped off, it was just me and the limo driver.  WHO COULDN'T FIND MY HOTEL!!  It took him awhile but he finally found it.  He said they just switched from a Hampton Inn to a Days Inn and he forgot they made the change.  Just what you want after 73 miles, huh? :)  No worries. I paid for an adventure and I'm gettin' my money's worth! :)

Some random thoughts:

-For all you single ladies out there, I am ROCKIN' my farmer's tan! :)

-Food rationing for century cyclists in hot weather is not cool!

-After a hard day of riding, I gotta have a bed, a shower and my own room.

-Only you can prevent forest fires!

Alright I'm done.  Tomorrow we leave Metter for Hinesville.  See you then! :)

Truck Back!
Gary

Dublin Our Pleasure!

BRAG Day 4-Dublin, GA

Distance: 61.75 miles
Ride Time: 4hrs, 21mins, 19secs
Avg Speed: 14.18 MPH

Today, was by far, my best day here at BRAG.  No cramps or dehydration at all.  Even with the temperature at 96 degrees, I had NO issues!  What a relief!  I'm going to attribute it to the fact that there were only three really steep hills.  The rest were of the slight to gently rolling kind which I was very thankful for! :)

It was an optional ride as we spent a second day in Dublin.  It was not too crowded out on the road as a lot of riders decided to rest and relax.  But not your humble blogger.  Although I must admit, I was really doubting if I could do the 56 mile route today.  One of our group, Paul, decided to take today off.  The rest of us ventured out on the route.  When we got to the first rest stop, Mitch, Jack and Ron decided to turn around and go back to the start.  That left me, Barb and Cary to do the 56 mile course.  And it was a tough course considering we had three different stretches of "Shake & Bake" road.  For those unfamiliar with "Shake & Bake" (including me until this morning), it refers to road that has been paved with coarsely ground rock and not tarred resulting in a very bumpy ride.  The first stretch lasted 13 miles and was extremely jarring.  But we got through that and two more (but much shorter) stretches for an awesome day today!

This is me on the porch at a rustic antique shop we rode past today.  The rocking chair I'm sitting in was sooooooo comfortable.  I wish I could have sat there the rest of the day.  Unfortunately, I didn't catch the name of the town this shop was in.  Darn my focus on the road! ;)

Tomorrow we leave the hamlet of Dublin as we hit the road towards Metter, GA.   73 fun filled miles ahead of us.  I'll report from Metter tomorrow night.

On Your Left!
Gary

The Fightin' Irish Ride

BRAG Day 3-Milledgeville to Dublin

Distance: 59.58 miles
Ride Time: 4hrs, 56mins, 10secs
Average Speed: 12.07 MPH

A short ride today.  YEA!!  Now I know some of you are saying 59 miles is not short.  And you'd be correct.  Let me explain.  The ride was scheduled for 48 miles which we did complete.  But I got additional miles because I rode from my hotel in Milledgeville to the start of today's ride and because I had to ride from the finish in to the hotel in Dublin.  Which I didn't quite make it.  Here's the story:

When I started out this morning, there were two ladies outside the hotel with their bikes looking at their maps.  When the saw me preparing to take off, they asked me if I was going to the start at the school.  When I said yes, they asked if they could join me.  I said "sure!"  So the three of us took off for the school.  And we started chatting about various things.  I wore my El Tour De Tucson jersey today and one of the ladies as asked me about that event and why is was doing BRAG and things of that nature.  We reached the school and I wished them a good ride day and I went to meet up with the Arlington Heights crew.

Fast forward to the finish in Dublin.  I arrived, rested in the shade for fifteen minutes and then went to the hospitality tent to find out the bike route of how to get to the hotel from Dublin High School.  I got the directions and off I went.  Now as some of you already know, I can be directionally challenged.  And so it was in this case.  I turned left out of the school parking lot when I should have turned right.  So that added and extra three miles to my trip.  Once I got on the right course, it became very long and very hot.  I was going very slow because I was tired when all of a sudden, a white truck rolls by and a woman screams out of the passenger side window "Gary!".  It was the two ladies I rode with to the start this morning!  The pulled over ahead of me and said "Do you want a ride to your hotel?"  OMG!!  It was like an angel appeared from heaven.  Then they had the nerve to thank ME for letting them ride with me this morning!  LOL!!  Karma is certainly alive and well on this ride! :)

Here's a photo of the AH crew posing with a old fashioned gas pump in Toombsboro, GA.  The town was named in honor of Robert Toombs, U.S. Congressman and senator from Georgia who as a general had fought at the second battle of Bull Run and at Antietam, after having resigned his appointment as the Confederate secretary of state.  And that's your history lesson for today! :)

I was listening to the local news as I wrote this and the weatherman said this area of the state has had 19 straight days of 90 degree or above temperatures.  He also said they will add at least seven more days to that total.  To quote Buster Poindexter, "HOT, HOT, HOT!" :)

Tomorrow is an optional as ride as we stay in Dublin for a second day.  I was all gung-ho about doing the century option, but with the heat, I am rethinking that position.  I'll let you know what I decide in tomorrow's post.

Stopping!
Gary

Still Hot in Georgia

BRAG Day 2-Oxford to Milledgeville

Distance: 73.70 miles
Ride Time: 6hrs, 13mins, 19secs
Avg Speed: 11.85 MPH

It was even hotter today in middle Georgia than it was yesterday.  I went through four 28oz bottles of Accelerade, four 28oz. bottles of water, three whole oranges, a banana, some cantaloupe wedges at breakfast and it STILL wasn't enough to prevent me from cramping today. At some point real soon, I will need to change what I'm hydrating myself with.  The Accelerade is not doing it for me.  I will have to experiment with new formulas when I get back home.

Despite this, I was able to complete the ride today.  For those of you who love hills, middle Georgia is the place for YOU!  We have done a tremendous amount of climbing in just two days.  The downhills are SWEET, but you know as soon as you get to the bottom, an uphill is waiting for your climbing pleasure.  Me and my "granny" gear have gotten real close these two days! :)

This is a picture of our Arlington Heights Bicycle Association group at dinner Monday night in Milledgeville.  On the left from front to back is Jack, Barb, John and Paul.  On the right from front to back is Mitch, Cary, Ron and your humble blogger.  They have been awesome to ride with!  My thanks to Mitch for inviting me to ride and hangout with the group.

This is the courthouse in Monticello, GA.  The town hosted our second rest stop today in the town square.  It was also used as the courthouse in the movie "My Cousin Vinny".  Very cool!

Two ride days down, five more to go.  Next up is our journey from Milledgeville to Dublin.  I'll report from there tomorrow!

Rolling!

Gary

Hydrate, Hydrate, Hydrate Gosh Darn It!

BRAG Day 1-Atlanta to Oxford

Distance: 53.64 miles
Ride Time: 4hrs, 22min, 19 secs
Avg Speed 12.27 MPH

The title of today's post says it all.  Combine a 95 degree average temperature day with me not drinking enough fluid resulted in me having to be sagged into the lunch stop today.  I felt lightheaded and dizzy and had to lay on the pavement just to get my wits together.  Luckily for me, many people (riders and non riders alike) stopped to see if I was OK, offered cold water, called SAG for me, etc.  Once I got to the lunch stop and got more fluid in me and some food, I felt well enough to complete the remaining 14 miles of the route.  My thanks to all of them for helping me today.  That was my payback for me helping two gentlemen who had a flat tire, no CO2 and needed a hand pump.  I was johnny-on-the-spot and they thanked me profusely.  It was from that point that my karma decided to closeup shop for the day.  Not 30 minutes later, I had a flat tire. DOH!!  You know, I have REALLY gotten good at changing flat tires lately.  A skill I'm glad to have, but I wish I didn't have to use it so often.  Then my hydration issues.  Oh well.  I'm not going to beat myself up over it too much.  There were MANY riders sharing the hydration issue today.  And a couple of riders suffered heat stroke and were taken to the hospital.  Scary stuff.  From what I understand, both are doing well and were released this evening.  You can be sure I WILL drink a (blank)load of water/sports drink tomorrow.

It's a trip to Milledgeville tomorrow.  63 miles of fun in the sun.  Hopefully, it will be a little cooler.

Talk to you tomorrow.
Slowing! :)

Gary

Somebody Up There REALLY Likes Me!

So this morning while lying in bed, I was contemplating how I was going to get my bike from the official starting point at Oglethorpe University back to my hotel, approximately three miles away.  Now you're probably saying "Hey Gary....IT'S A BIKE!!  RIDE THE DARN THING!!"  I agree.  It would be the obvious thing to do. Except me being the doofus that I am, I forgot to bring a small bag (of which I have at least nine at home) to carry my helmet, shoes, shades et al.  I decided to go down to the lobby for breakfast still mulling over this situation.  I came to the decision that I would take a cab over to the start, get my bike and goody bag and then walk the three miles back to the hotel.  In 95 degree heat.  Good times!  Just as I was sitting there finishing breakfast in the lobby, I noticed a gentleman at the front desk asking the agent how to get to Oglethorpe University.  I didn't think much of it as he got the information and then drove off in his large truck.  A few moments later, I hailed a cab and got to the university.  As I made my way over to the Cycleworks tent where my Trek 2100 was waiting for me, that same gentleman I saw in the lobby noticed me and said "I wish I had known you were coming over. I would have given you a ride.  Do you want a ride back?"  WOW!!  What a tremendous gesture!  My new friend Tim not only gave me and my bike a ride back to the hotel, he also offered to give me and my bide ride back to the university in the morning for the start!  This episode just reaffirms my faith in the human race.  He didn't know me from Adam and now he's giving me a ride.  Thank you Tim! :)

Tires are pumped, goo and water bottles are filled, cycle computer is calibrated and I'm all set for the morning.  55 miles to from Atlanta to Oxford, GA.  It's gonna be fun! :)  Talk to you tomorrow from Oxford.

Hole!
Gary

I'm In Atlanta!!

Welcome to Atlanta!  Or "Hot"lanta as some folks call this place.  I am in the crown jewel of the south.  I have been treated so very well by the staff of the Hampton Inn where I'm staying.  I even had a personal letter from the hotel general manager waiting for me in my room when I arrived.  He thanked me for staying with them.  What a nice touch! :)

Usually when I go on these trips, I always find something I never see at home.  And this trip did not disappoint.  Take a look at the below photo:

That is one BIG gun, huh?  Actually, it's a giant barbecue grill in front of the Rusty Nail restaurant here in Atlanta where I had dinner tonight.  And with a big barbecue grill in front of the restaurant, I had to have their homemade specialty, right?  Of course I did.  Their lasagna was delicious! :)

Nothing much happening here tonight.  The adventure begins in earnest tomorrow when I'm reunited with my bike and check in at Oglethorpe University which is the official starting HQ for the ride.  I'll have another post tomorrow on the eve of the first ride day.

A special shout-out to the Illinois Team-In-Training Cycle Team who arrived in Lake Tahoe today in advance of their participation in America's Most Beautiful Bike Ride on Sunday.  May you all have a great ride.  GO TEAM!!

An extra special shout-out to two of my teammates who are going through some tough times right now.  JAV and Anne R., know that you are in my prayers and as I travel these Georgia roads, you ride with me in my heart.

Car Back!
Gary